Madison WHO Club raises $8,000 for instructional technology

MASSENA – Yankee Candles are a surefire way to raise money for Madison Elementary School, according to the president of the Madison WHO Club, after presenting the Massena Central School District with an $8,000 donation last week.

Yankee Candle has been our biggest hit. As long as I am president, were doing Yankee Candle, Kathy Perrine said.

The districts board of education applauded the efforts of the parent group after accepting the donation that will support technology efforts at the school.

The $8,000 will be used to purchase instructional technology at Madison Elementary School. Mrs. Perrine said the money will be used to outfit classrooms with materials and equipment necessary for use with Smart Boards.

She said the money can be used for materials and equipment such as Smart Boards, LCD projects, Smart board moveable racks, and the necessary writing and installation costs.

Mr. Oliver (Principal Alan Oliver) approached me. I told him it sounded like a good idea. I talked to the rest of the crew, and we all said thats good. I went to the treasurer and talked with her to see what we were sitting on for the school year. She said we could do it, Mrs. Perrine said.

She then told Mr. Oliver that his request had been filled.

He knew we were probably going to say yes. He comes to our meetings, so he knows whats gong on. He knows how much we had and what we do, she said.

Its one of many projects theyve taken on over the years, Mrs. Perrine said.

We do a fundraiser once a year in the fall. Two years ago, we did two fundraisers, she said.

A spring fundraiser raised $10,000, she said.

Yankee Candle, which theyve been doing for two or three years, has always been a popular hit with the customers, allowing the Madison WHO Club to financially help out the school, according to Mrs. Perrine.

We do functions throughout the year. At the beginning of the last school year, the teacher laminate machine broke. We spent money and bought them a new one. This past school year we also bought all of the school new electric pencil sharpeners, she said.

Were very active, she noted. We make sure that the teachers are taken care of, we make sure that the children are taken care of.

Like other parent groups in the district, they hold events for students and their families throughout the year. They also help the school librarian with her twice-a-year book sales and fill in for her while she is taking care of students at J.W. Leary Junior High School.

And, when parent-teacher conferences roll around, theyll find babysitters for parents who otherwise wouldnt be able to attend because they couldnt find someone to watch their child.

We try to do a lot. We help out with Fun Day. We help out with Picture Day. We do pumpkin decorating every year, Mrs. Perrine said.

We try to fulfill everybodys needs, she said. Its amazing how the community comes together to do a fundraiser. We are Madison are fortunate to have a very strong community, which supports our school.

Commenting rules:

Stick to the topic of the article/letter/editorial.

When responding to issues raised by other commenters, do not engage in personal attacks or name-calling.

Comments that include profanity/obscenities or are libelous in nature will be removed without warning.

Violators' commenting privileges may be revoked indefinitely. By commenting you agree to our full Terms of Use.